Jonah Goldberg, National Review: "There's a lot to be said for the first State of the Union Address of any presidency. People want to see their new president and hear what he has in store. But by the sixth one, nobody really wants to watch a State of the Union Address. We may feel obligated to watch — out of professional or civic duty — but the number of people who woke up giddy with anticipation for (this) speech has to be smaller than the number of people who thought Caddyshack II was better than the original."

Jon Favreau, The Daily Beast: "So why the hell do we keep putting ourselves through this grueling ritual year after year? Shouldn't we just go back to the days before Woodrow Wilson, where the State of the Union was conveyed in a simple letter to Congress? No, we shouldn't. And here's why: Along with a few championship games and award shows, the State of the Union is one of the few annual events that tens of millions of Americans still watch together, as a country. For a brief moment, we get to witness our system of government as the proud, democratic institution it was meant to be, not the sad, partisan spectacle it has too often become."

Carol Platt Liebau,Townhall.com: "There are two reasons for the growing indifference for the innumerable speeches that issue from the president's mouth: First, the public has figured out that President Obama is either unwilling or unable to work meaningfully with Congress, so little of lasting import is likely to happen. Second, with an approval rate of 41%, he's clearly squandered the enormous reservoir of public goodwill he enjoyed at both of his inaugurations."

Juan Williams,Fox News: "The ambitious goals laid out by President Obama in last year's State of the Union Address — immigration reform, gun control, action on climate change — have been hopelessly stalled by political reality. That is not likely to change in the coming months. There may, however, be new opportunities for bipartisan solutions to pressing national problems in 2014. The most promising of these opportunities is to reform the corporate tax code. ... There is also bipartisan legislation in the Congress to establish a fund to rebuild America's crumbling infrastructure to spur economic growth and create employment opportunities."